Murder on The Battlefield: Picking up the Pieces
by YoursTrulyXShay
Summary: After the death of Ma Teng, Ma Chao is left shattered in pieces as he searches for a way to put himself back together and restore his life to the way it should have been, but who other than Ma Dai can pick up the pieces and put them back in place? There is a darkness that should stay covered and a dutiful responsibility that ties the warriors of Shu down. Pairing: Ma Chao/Ma Dai
1. Chapter 1

**Piece Number One: **_The Sorrows of the Evening_

It was cold.

Ma Dai shifted, turning on his side only to realise that the formerly occupied space beside him was now empty. Frowning, he let out a disgruntled mutter as he sat up, the cold night air hitting his shoulders and causing him to shudder violently. Just then, he realised he was still in his day clothes and he almost cursed as he took in their messed up state. Giving a light hearted shrug, he slipped out of bed, going towards the door which had been left slightly ajar, the light in the hallway pooling in through the gap yet it was dim, more akin to candle light than a lantern.

"Mengqi?" He called out tiredly, rubbing his eyes as he stepped out into the narrow corridor where he found the candle balancing dangerously in its holder atop the narrow neck of a large vase. Sighing, he took it up, using its feeble light to make his way towards the main room in search of his cousin.

Ma Chao was not there.

Sighing, Ma Dai scratched his chin, trudging further down the corridor till he reached the garden where he spotted a feeble flicker of light towards the small wooden shrine. "Mengqi" He called out, his voice much quieter now as he moved through the darkness towards the back of the garden. Ma Chao did not move from his kneeling position, head bowed forward and hands pressed together.

The strong scent of incense wafted through the cold night air and the smell of smoke invaded the younger man's senses just as his footsteps came to a halt behind Ma Chao.

Ma Dai stayed silent, watching as his cousin finished his little ritual.

"Why are you up now, Bozhan?" Ma Chao's firm voice sounded somewhat distant as he stood up, drawing the makeshift cover over the wooden structure which was meant to represent a memorial.

"I just woke up and couldn't find you, so I just wanted to check you were okay" Ma Dai answered, taking one last look of the small stone carving just as it disappeared behind the old cover that they used to share when they were younger. The tablet held the familiar characters of his uncle's name, Ma Teng.

"Are you alright?" He asked, tearing his gaze away to look at Ma Chao. Ma Chao looked tired; his sun kissed hair was ruffled back, bright eyes duller than usual. He could tell that something was wrong even though it was Ma Chao's habit to visit the memorial every day; it was not normally this late at night unless something was wrong. He understood the feeling of being pressured as though some heavy weight had been placed upon him, suffocating him so that he just desperately needed to get it off his chest.

This was Ma Chao's sanctuary. The old garden at the back of their little house which was actually a small clearing in a rarely visited forest, but Ma Dai had done everything he could to make it as usable as possible, planting some cheap to maintain herbs and vegetables to one side and erecting the rough memorial for his uncle as a sort of gift for his cousin.

Ma Chao turned to look back at him after a moment's contemplation. "It's nothing" He shrugged, leaving it at that.

Suddenly, Ma Chao's stomach gave a terribly loud roar, sounding very angry to his ears as he clutched it with a nervous laugh. "Sorry, I haven't eaten anything for a while"

Ma Dai laughed, pretending to scold him. "Mengqi, you must learn to feed yourself, otherwise you will go hungry when I'm away" Crossing his arms over his chest, Ma Dai let out a startled yelp as Ma Chao grasped him in a headlock, dragging him back into the house whilst laughing loudly.

"You won't ever leave my side, Ma Dai, so until then, I want you to look after me!" He decided, letting go of his cousin once they reached the open doorway of the living room.

Those words struck him deep for some reason and he could hardly pay attention to anything but the man in front of him for the next few hours even as they ate.

"This tastes great!" Ma Chao announced, as he did every time they sat down to have a meal together.

Ma Dai felt somewhat bad that all he could offer was rice but Ma Chao never once seemed to complain, whether he was being genuine or just trying to make him feel better Ma Dai had a feeling he would never really be able to tell. But ever since the Ma cousins had joined up with the Shu forces their income seemed to have risen significantly but it was still difficult to keep the money for long since most of it was used to maintain the worn old house and rarely were there any excessive spoils from the campaigns they participated in. During the summer they would be able to start work on the roof, but until then, they had to put up with the cold that crept in through the thatches and save up what they could to get enough timber to replace the roof with something less costly to preserve.

Putting his bowl down, the older of the two glanced across at his companion with concern evident on his face.

"Bozhan, are you feeling well?" He asked, his boisterous demeanour seeming temporarily with held.

Ma Dai snapped out of his musing, wondering why the other was asking until Ma Chao gestured towards his still full plate.

"I'm not really hungry, rice gets a little old after a while, don't you think?"

Ma Chao shook his head, taking the other's bowl and starting upon his quest to finish it. "Not really" He stated in between mouthfuls. "I grew up eating this stuff"

Giving up on trying to gauge Mengqi's emotions, Ma Dai cleared the table away, following his cousin back to their shared futon.

However, Ma Chao was suddenly startled by Ma Dai's fingers grasping the fabric of his sleeping robes much like a little child clinging to his mother. This caused a little bit of confusion for him since Ma Dai was always affectionate but it was rare for him to openly display his affection in any more than a hug probably because he was worried that it would annoy Ma Chao or that he would come off as too clingy.

"Dai..?" But Ma Chao couldn't finish his sentence.

"It's cold" Was the only excuse he received and so he in return gave up on questioning it, besides... Ma Chao felt that right now, he had no one in the world to treasure as much as he did Ma Dai and the other had gone through a lot to look after him and ensure his happiness.

"Goodnight, Bozhan" He whispered, feeling the younger man nod sleepily against his shoulder as he cuddled up to him.

**Please Read & Review~!**

**Thank you,**

**X Shay**


	2. Chapter 2

**Piece Number Two: **_Stealing Your First Laugh_

The following morning Ma Dai was roused from his sleep later than usual, finding that Ma Chao had already disappeared.

Rolling onto his side, Ma Dai hugged his pillow against his chest, staring at the wall before him and tracing the scratched markings upon the wall before tiredly reaching out his fingers to touch the latest of them.

"... Almost there" He whispered, yawning lazily as he rolled onto his back and staring at the ceiling. A tired smile appeared on his lips yet it did not seem to reach his eyes, he was terribly exhausted and the weariness had long settled into his soft features with a seclusion of pertinent sorts that could not quite be described.

He could hardly believe that it had been seven years since the death of his uncle. Seven years since he had started to look after Ma Chao and only a few when he had joined Shu to fulfil Liu Bei's conquest.

No.

He had joined Shu to support his cousin and even now he was unsure to what extent he would go in order to make Ma Chao happy.

Grumbling in frustration, he hauled himself out of bed and decided it was about time he departed for the market square in order to buy some necessities for the house.

* * *

By the time that he had finished his duty, the sun was already at its highest point in the sky, its rays boring down mercilessly over his head yet it was by no means warm as the summer days began to approach their finality.

Shivering, Ma Dai readjusted his collar, shifting the brown paper bag of items against his hip as he bit into a freshly made dimsum and munching away contentedly.

He finally settled himself on the vacant stairs of some altar, the stone formation of old steps rather uncomfortable but it was well out of the way and he had a good view of the children of Shu playing happily near the fountain.

"Would you like a flower, sir?"

Ma Dai turned in shock at the unexpected voice, his cinnamon eyes focusing on the petite woman who had approached him with a handful of wild flowers. She looked dreadful, her skin was greying and her black hair was matted down and tangled but it seemed as though she had made her best attempt to make herself presentable. Her simple pink hanfu was poorly maintained; badly made stitches keeping a loose sleeve attached to the cloth and the general could not help but feel sorry for her despite not being very well off himself.

Thinking that he hadn't heard her, she repeated her question, pushing the flowers towards him as though to try and convince him to accept her request.

"Would you like one?" She asked.

Ma Dai's gaze shifted towards the unpleasant looking flowers, an undistinguishable mixture of scents that merged to create an allergy-inducing aroma. He would have- actually he should have- said no, but without even thinking he reached for his coin purse and dropped a silver piece into her small hand.

"Are you serious?" She gaped at him as though he was crazy, but Ma Dai just smiled at her nervously. "I can buy a whole bowl of rice with this!"

Ma Dai felt terribly sorry for her despite his own struggle to maintain his spending funds on necessities for him and his cousin.

"You can do more than buy a bowl of rice. How about you buy yourself new clothes?" He suggested quietly.

Still bewildered, the girl looked at him for a very long time, narrowing her wide brown eyes at him. "Why? I'm not one of those-"

"It's not like that!" Ma Dai quickly interrupted his face aflame at the awkwardness of her suspicion. "I just... well... I want those flowers" He muttered, not that he actually did but it was the first idea that came to his mind and he was actually surprised when she gave them to him. "Thanks"

"What's your name, sir?" She asked, dusting her dirt covered hands off on her hanfu.

"Ma Dai, pleased to meet you" The general answered, already regretting the fact he had wasted much needed money.

"Well, mister, I'm Chan-juan, thank you very much" She bowed.

Ma Dai almost laughed at the irony, her name (meaning graceful) really did not suit her.

* * *

"Bozhan!" Ma Chao called as he entered the house, kicking his muddy boots off near the door and removing his helmet. No one came to greet him.

"Oi! Ma Dai! I'm home!" He tried again as he made his way down the corridor, ruffling out his platinum hair.

"Ma Chao! Your boots are covered in mud; you should have left them outside!" Ma Dai called out in frustration as he walked in through the door, carrying a pile of newly cut fire wood. He led the way into the small tea room, dumping his armload into the corner with the rest of the logs before thumping down at the low table.

Ma Chao watched the small commotion wondering what drastic thing must have happened for his cousin to be in such a bad mood. It certainly wasn't the small mess he made; Dai wouldn't get angry about that... would he?

Worriedly, he sat down without bothering to change his clothes despite the need for a bath after the training session he had today.

"What's wrong, Dai?" He asked. It felt strange. For the first time in ages, he was asking about the other's personal feelings and he felt slightly disheartened when Ma Dai refused to talk to him. Getting up, Ma Chao walked towards his cousin, grabbing him in a bone crushing hug which finally prompted a reaction from the younger man.

"Ma Chao! I can't breathe!" He complained, pushing against his shoulder in an attempt to get him off.

"Tell me what's wrong and I'll let you go" Ma Chao wagered, earning a light kick in the shin.

"You smell terrible! Go bathe!" Ma Dai protested, continuing to struggle until the other let him go.

"Sorry, we had drills today" Ma Chao laughed.

Ma Dai stared at him.

"What?" The blond asked, confused.

"You laughed" Ma Dai replied, a sad kind of smile appearing on his lips.

Ma Chao's own smile fell almost guiltily and he grimaced slightly before turning to walk away. He heard his cousin's footsteps behind him but they soon came to a halt as he walked out into the back yard, heading for the small hot spring towards the furthest side of the house wall. The general picked up the bucket from nearby, dipping it into the pool of hot water before shedding his clothes and beginning to wash as best he could. He scrubbed away at his skin furiously, only realising when he rubbed his forearm's skin raw, angry red marks erupting over the irritated flesh and he gave up. Throwing the rag back in the bucket and slipping into the hot spring.

Mengqi almost jumped when he felt a hand kneading his shoulder, lifting his head to find his cousin leaning over him. His sleeves were rolled up and he was kneeling in the dirt, looking rather dejected.

"You don't need to" Ma Chao stated, turning his gaze back to the steam rising into the cold night air.

"You're really tense" Ma Dai commented.

"Dai... why won't you tell me what's wrong?" He insisted, but the dark haired man continued to ignore him.

"You've been working out a lot lately" The other noted.

Fed up with the act, Ma Chao turned towards him and grabbed his cousin's arm roughly, pulling him down to his level. "Why are you ignoring me?! Have I done something wrong?! Tell me for heaven's sake!" He yelled.

"You need to calm down" Ma Dai replied, eyeing the water warily, he really didn't want to get his clothes wet.

"Dai!" Ma Chao growled at him frustration but he knew he was right. He always had a short fuse and was so temperamental at times.

"Chao, let go you're hurting me" Ma Dai winced, trying to free his arm. Ma Chao let go but he reached for the scruff of his collar instead, pulling him further down and Ma Dai had to sink his fingers into the dirt to keep himself from toppling over. "Mengqi!" He whined, his tone sounding more playful now.

Ma Chao smirked confidently at him, pushing himself up onto the edge to steal a kiss, but the plan didn't go so well since Ma Dai was more focused on how close he was to the edge ending in a collision.

"Ow! What was that for?" Ma Dai complained, rubbing his chin in pain.

"You're the one who moved!" Ma Chao countered, nursing his forehead. He didn't know whether he was glad it didn't happen or a little disappointed. Did Ma Dai even know he... liked him?

"I'm going to get supper ready, don't stay out here too long or you'll catch a cold" The younger man warned as he stood up, brushing the dirt from his knees and cleaning his hands on the way in.

Ma Chao sunk lower in the pool of steam, watching silently until the man disappeared inside.

"Father... what do I do..?" He murmured, his gaze rising towards the evening sky.

* * *

**Please Read & Review~!**

**Thank you,**

**X Shay**

**P.S. Thanks for all the reviews on the first chapter, they really encouraged me to write more~!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Piece Three: **_These little things_

Ma Dai sighed heavily, drawing his knees up to his chest as he thought over the past few days. His cousin was utterly depressed and he wasn't able to do anything about it. Really? What was he even good for? All he ever did was wash the clothes, cook, clean, cook some more and then attend to a few errands here and there. Today was Ma Chao's birthday. It just had to be the time of the month when money was tight.

"Ma... Dai..."

The young general didn't have to look up to know that Wei Yan was hovering around him. He wanted to be left alone but somehow didn't have the heart to tell the older man to go away. He just couldn't, so putting on his best smile he turned towards him.

"What's up, Wei Yan?" He asked.

Wei Yan walked in front of him, flopping down ungracefully onto the cold earth and balancing his weapon on his crossed legs before leaning back onto his hands. The posture was casual and it was difficult to tell whether the barbaric officer had detected anything.

"You... sad...?" He countered in his gruff manner of speaking but he spoke quietly, as though he intended it to be gentle.

Ma Dai's smile turned somewhat sad. He couldn't believe that Wei Yan out of all people was trying to comfort him. Was he really that terrible looking? Must have been.

"I'm not sad, just cold" He lied and saw his friend's mouth turn downwards in what he presumed was a frown or perhaps a scowl. He couldn't quite tell with that mask on but somehow he picked up determination in those dull hazel eyes as Wei Yan shifted from his seemingly comfortable seat, disappearing without another word and returning what could have been several minutes later with firewood.

Ma Dai watched as the older man arranged the logs into a small camp fire that sprung forward from small sparks and began to roar hungrily in upwards flickers. The heat reached him where he sat on a crate but he moved forward anyway, resting his back against it as he watched the flames lap away at the wood. It was quiet aside from the occasional fizz and splutter of the fire, crackling merrily against the grey morning atmosphere.

Wei Yan made a small sound of what could have been accomplishment and he sat himself beside Ma Dai, pushing a container in his laps.

"What's this?" The artisan questioned, opening it hesitantly as though he was expecting to find someone's fingers in there but it was an ordinary food container that held a good amount of sticky buns in there. The fresh smell of pastry made his stomach growl in hunger, as though to emphasise how the rice he had shovelled down his throat for breakfast was not enough.

Wei Yan laughed, a strange, short, sound that seemed to vibrate from his chest and Ma Dai couldn't help but stare at him in both embarrassment and shock. He had never heard the man laugh, in fact, Wei Yan was almost always angry or wild looking but it was somehow pleasant to know that he had prompted such a reaction albeit at the price of his own awkwardness.

Nervously, he took one, biting into it and allowing the warmth to settle in the bottom of his stomach without so much as attempting to chew.

"Mm, these are good... really good" He commented appreciatively as he continued to devour the rest of the treats until he noted Wei Yan staring at him with an unreadable sort of expression. Was there a flicker of sadness in those dull eyes? He might have just imagined it. "You hungry?" He asked, offering the container back but Wei Yan shook his head, mustering a smile of some description.

"Dai!" A cheerful sounding girl called out, the voice followed by running footsteps.

Ma Dai stood up quickly, thinking that there was something wrong but sighed heavily when his gaze fell upon Bao Sanniang. Wei Yan had stood up too, perhaps having thought the same thing.

"You're here too?" She acknowledged Wei Yan with a look that Ma Dai recognised as 'I don't know your name but I know you exist'. "Great!" Quick recovery. "You know how it's like Ma Chao's birthday today? Well, Lord Liu Bei said we should totally have a feast this evening since we're not on campaign or anything" She dove right into the explanation without so much as a pause for breath and Ma Dai just stood there trying to process the words that kept flowing out of her mouth.

Wei Yan looked equally confused and he scratched the back of his head in a manner that indicated he was stressed out.

"So yeah, you should totally help out with the organisation or something- Guan Suo~!" And she was off without so much as a 'goodbye', running after the poor boy.

"Lord Liu Bei is allowing us to throw a banquet for Ma Chao?" He asked, to no one in particular although he directed his gaze towards his friend who just shrugged and then paused before giving a subtle nod.

* * *

And that was how Ma Dai found himself peering into the kitchens as Yue Ying added the finishing touches to some sweets that looked like peaches. A symbol of longevity and good health. Xing Cai, who was standing by doing nothing in particular, shot him a glare that told him to get out and he backed out accidentally bumping into Guan Suo.

The boy smiled at him and Ma Dai couldn't help but smile back. Guan Suo was the type of person who had an air of quiet understanding that Ma Dai had taken an automatic liking to him although they hardly spent any time together.

"Need some help with those?" He offered, referring to the folded red drapes that Suo was balancing.

"Would you please?" Guan Suo nodded appreciatively as Ma Dai took half the pile, walking beside him as they made their way towards the hall where they would hold the party. It was actually the throne room but Shu's funding wasn't exactly the best so it was an ideal place for them to all gather.

The best of the wine had been placed upon the tables, much to Zhang Fei's chagrin. All manners of festive food had also been prepared and some dancers were practicing some move that looked the same to Ma Dai as all the rest of their dances.

"It's like a real celebration, isn't it?" Guan Suo remarked, setting down his load to one corner where some servants were preparing to put them up. Ma Dai mimicked his action before agreeing.

"Where is Mengqi anyway?" He inquired, shooting the son of Guan Yu a questioning glance when he chuckled.

"Well... Master Zhao Yun took him away on some hoax report of elephant sighting" The flower general admitted.

Ma Dai rolled his eyes at the illogical mission, completely believing that Ma Chao had fallen for it. His cousin wasn't the brightest of people despite being extremely fired up about serving his lord. Zhao Yun would have probably felt extremely guilty.

* * *

Zhao Yun felt terrible. Guilty. He was a horrible friend, a horrible, horrible friend. How had he even agreed to do this? Sure, Ma Chao had been eager to find those 'elephants' but when wasn't he eager to be up and riding?

"Zilong!" Ma Chao called, waving him over.

Zhao Yun mustered a nervous smile before making his horse pick up pace so that he could reach his friend, he halted the dark mare just at the top of the hill, shading his eyes from the bright rays of the sun as it set in the horizon.

"Don't you think it's beautiful?" Chao breathed.

"Yes" Zhao Yun agreed, lowering his hand so that he could catch the final rays before they would disappear for some hours and the night would take over. A gentle breeze seemed to have filtered through the forest below and sifted through his dark hair, a familiar almost nostalgic feeling settling in. He sighed, trying to ignore his guilty conscience as it gnawed on him how much Ma Chao trusted him.

It was nice... having someone who put so much faith in you without question and even after endless hours of searching for the giant mammals, Ma Chao had never once thought to question his false determination.

"Zilong" Ma Chao began and Zhao Yun turned, his stormy grey eyes seeking out Ma Chao's warm brown ones. There seemed to be some hesitance in them, uncertain emotions that weren't sad but fearful.

"Is there something wrong, Mengqi?" Zhao Yun asked in concern. "Do you wish to return?"

Ma Chao shrugged. It was nice being with Zhao Yun. The man genuinely cared for him and he always listened when Ma Chao had something to say even if he was just ranting about how much he hated Cao Cao. He wanted to say 'thank you', even though their hunt for those elephants was fruitless, he really needed to get away from home and the depressing memory of losing his father and the rest of his clan.

"Mengqi?" Had he been silent for that long?

"No, it's nothing, let's head back" He replied, turning his favoured white horse towards the direction where they came from. Even though he was not facing him, he felt Zhao Yun's concerned gaze on him but soon there was a black mare riding alongside him with his friend smiling in an uncharacteristically relaxed manner.

"You're right, it will get dark soon, Lord Liu Bei would be concerned"

Ma Chao almost sighed at Zhao Yun's apparent obsession with their lord. He had brought it up once, how Zhao Yun could not last an entire conversation without bringing the man up and Zhao Yun's reaction had been to splutter helplessly then turn a lovely shade of rose red, looking completely baffled and rather helpless.

* * *

Some people looked up when they heard rushed footsteps out in the hallway before Guan Yinping appeared, out of breath and carrying her unnecessarily large dual headed mace.

"Ma Chao and Zhao Yun are back!" She announced, sending people scurrying this way and that hurriedly and she joined in the rush, packing away things that weren't needed to help the servants. The candles were concealed beneath coloured cups, dimming the room like lanterns that were often seen during celebrations.

"Do we have to report back now?" They heard Ma Chao ask, followed by Zhao Yun's assistance.

Zhao Yun was the first in, followed by a frowning Ma Chao whose expression rapidly changed into surprised as a wall of noise suddenly erupted. A mixture of 'congratulations' and 'happy birthday' as well as other forms of greetings to the horse general, who seemed still frozen in shock. He sought out Zhao Yun who smiled at him apologetically.

"Happy birthday, Mengqi. I'm sorry for lying to you" The tiger general stated and it slowly dawned on Ma Chao what was going on. Zhao Yun almost yelped when he was suddenly tackled by his long time friend, finding himself in a headlock with a fired up Ma Chao mussing up his hair and the surrounding officers laughing.

"You made me chase the sun!" Ma Chao exclaimed, laughing as Zhao Yun continued to attempt escaping his grasp but he too was laughing, however, he stopped when he caught sight of his cousin smiling at him fondly.

"Dai! Was this your idea?" He asked, as he released his friend, moving towards his cousin who handed him a cup of wine.

Ma Dai shook his head. "Not really. We all wanted to do something for you together" He confessed, holding up his cup in a manner of toasting to his good health. Ma Chao held up his cup as well, several other generals joining in all with smiles on their face whilst others who weren't old enough to drink or simply didn't want to just cheered on.

But by the end of the night it was no surprise that they were all too wasted to go home and Liu Bei, amongst the other few who weren't beyond rational thinking took it upon themselves to get them settled down somewhere for the night.

"Zilong~" Ma Chao droned as Zhao Yun half hauled him through the badly lit corridor and into a room that was already occupied by Guan Ping who looked pale and ready to throw up and Guan Suo who was patting his back and offering him some water. No doubt the older men had encouraged him to drink; Guan Ping didn't look like he could hold his alcohol well at all.

"I love you man" The drunk man continued expressing his mindless affection for the older general and Zhao Yun merely replied with occasional hums of understanding.

"Lousy drunk?" Guan Suo asked.

"Aye" Zhao Yun answered, dumping Ma Chao in the nearest futon that Guan Suo had considerately laid out for him. "Thanks" He nodded his gratitude towards the younger man, all the while fighting Ma Chao's hugs away. He was used to his friend's drunken disaster but at least he slept quickly.

"No problem. You don't drink?" Guan Suo questioned out of curiosity.

Zhao Yun shook his head. "I tried it once, it was awful. Ended up like poor Guan Ping over there" He admitted, earning a groan from the sickly young man. Guan Suo chuckled, rubbing his brother's back comfortingly.

They heard stumbling and a loud crash accompanied by a growl out in the corridor and Guan Suo raised a brow at his companion. Zhao Yun did the least dignified thing Suo had ever seen him do. He face palmed just as Ma Dai came in, or rather just as Wei Yan came in with Ma Dai thrown over his shoulder.

"A rowdy drunk?" He asked.

"A soppy drunk" Zhao Yun corrected.

In all honesty, the Ma cousins were probably the worst drunk pair he had ever come across and Wei Yan shared the same silent opinion but Guan Suo wasn't too far behind in finding out despite not having been in the army for as long as them.

Wei Yan dumped Ma Dai onto the floor before rolling out a futon for him. Ma Dai howled in mock pain, which had Guan Suo crawling towards him in concern.

"Are you alright, Lord Ma Dai?" He gasped when he saw tears rolling down the grown man's face.

"I'm worthless. No one wants me" Ma Dai sounded more like he was making a poor attempt at composing a song than actually crying and Guan Suo backed up as the artist was hauled away yet again by Wei Yan, who seemed to display no particular pity upon Ma Dai's tears.

It took some time. A long time, for the two drunks to quiet down and eventually Ma Chao's loud snoring filled the room. Ma Dai had fallen asleep too it seemed and Zhao Yun had dozed off sitting with his back against the wall, a habit he probably picked up on guard duty, beside Ma Chao's futon.

"Wei Yan" Ma Dai muttered, turning onto his side and finding Wei Yan's mask next to him. He sat up uncertainly, finding that the man had practically disappeared beneath the sheets of his sleeping mat, his face well hidden much to Ma Dai's disappointment.

His head felt fuzzy as he straightened himself, glancing around to find that even Guan Ping had managed to sleep and beside him was Guan Suo who probably hadn't found the energy to set up a bed for himself or simply missed sharing a bed with his big brother.

Cute.

Wei Yan shifted around beneath his blanket, his face still half buried in the pillow but Ma Dai knew he was awake.

"Did I tire you out? Sorry" Ma Dai apologised, keeping his voice in a low whisper.

A hand crawled out from below the sheets, seizing the mask and disappearing before Wei Yan finally reappeared looking almost the same as he always did. Ma Dai couldn't help but laugh as he slowly realised that Wei Yan's hair wasn't as agreeable as it looked in the day time. It looked flat and stuck out at all manner of random angles, making it difficult to determine what direction it naturally grew in.

Wei Yan yawned, stretching his spine until he heard a disturbingly loud crack then settled on scratching the back of his head. Ma Dai wasn't sure what Wei Yan's morning mood was like, but he looked slower than usual and practically half asleep even though Ma Dai was the one with the headache.

"Breakfast?" Ma Dai offered, perhaps out of habit although he was certain that it was because he didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts after last night.

* * *

**Please Read & Review~!**

**Thank you,**

**X Shay**

**P.S. Thanks for all the reviews on the second chapter, they really encouraged me to write more~!**


End file.
